Happenchance
by Katt930
Summary: 'She looked different, but there could be no mistaking those intense, cerulean eyes.' Anna Anderson hasn't seen her sister in almost ten years, since she seemed to all but disappear off the face of the planet. However, a chance sighting of a photo in a foreign newspaper gives her the chance to track down the woman she once knew and loved. (Modern AU, Elsanna).
1. Happenchance

** Happenchance**

_Happenchance- a fluke or a coincidental event._

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><p><strong>Warning: This story will contain incest in later chapters.<strong>

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><p>'<em>Is-slottet Associates'- the most successful architectural firm in Europe, with branches and dealings in several countries, specialising in the conservation of historic Nordic Architecture. Headquarters based in London, United Kingdom. CEO, Ms. Nina E. Snøfnugg.<em>

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><p>Anna Anderson felt sick to the pit of her stomach and had to excuse herself to go to the bathroom. She rinsed her mouth out with cold water and leant her hands on the sink, looking up at her pale, dishevelled reflection in the glass.<p>

"Anna, are you all right in there?!" Kristoff was calling her, but she really didn't have the strength to speak to him right now.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Must have just been something I ate. All better now!" She tried to sound as convincing as possible, but her voice just came out in this horrible high pitched squeak. Totally unconvincing.

_No, I'm not fine at all. I'm the complete opposite really. I just cannot believe this is happening!_

"Can I come in?" He sounded more urgent. Of course he wasn't going to fall for that; he was her best friend.

_No._

"There's no need. I'm fine…really," she croaked, eyes brimming over.

"Anna?" His voice was softer now. "Please, just tell me what happened. You were seemed all right just a few minutes ago."

"I _said _I'm fine!"

"Was it something I did?"

_No, stop thinking like that!_

"No, no…it wasn't. Please…just go. I need to be alone." Anna could hardly choke out the words as she leant against the wall of the bathroom and let herself sink down to the floor, burying her head in her hands.

"All right Anna, I'll let you be. But please, don't just shut me out. This isn't like you!"

Despite her best attempt at holding it in, Anna began to sob uncontrollably.

_No you're right, this isn't like me. But it's not every day you find out something like I just did. Oh, what am I going to do?!_

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><p><em>Anna went crashing through the door of her apartment and tripped on the threshold, flying through the air and landing face first on the hard floor.<em>

"_Oh, shit!" _

_She winced as she managed to pull herself up and drag herself over to the couch, flopping onto her back and kicking off her heels. She lay there rubbing her sore nose, wondering if she could force herself to get up and change, or find something to eat. She decided that would most likely be a negative, as she groaned and rolled over onto her side._

_Her eyes became droopy and she would have fallen asleep there and then if it wasn't for the loud rapping at the door._

'_Ugh, I don't feel like talking to anyone. I'm just going to pretend I'm not here.'_

_The knocking continued._

"_Hey feisty pants, open up. I want to see your face!" A familiar voice boomed through the door._

"_Kristoff!"_

_Anna, in a sudden burst of energy, leapt up and ran to the door, opening it wide. Strong arms reached down and wrapped around her waist, lifting her up into a massive bear hug. Anna buried her face in his chest, smelling the familiar scent of her friend's aftershave._

_When she was finally released she looked up at the grinning blonde, a smile beginning to spread and light up her own face._

"_You're early!"_

"_Yeah, flight got pulled forward at the last minute. Thought I'd give you a surprise!" He shrugged, still grinning._

"_Well you certainly did…surprise me I mean. But it's a good surprise, of course!" She babbled._

"_Wanna come over to mine? I thought we could maybe order a pizza and catch up."_

"_You know what? That sounds really great!"_

_Kristoff's apartment was on the same floor as hers; just a short walk down the hallway. That's how they had originally met- as neighbours. Four years ago when Anna had just moved in, Kristoff found her drunk and about to have a nervous breakdown outside her locked door in the middle of the night, having lost her keys. He took her back to his place and had her sleep in his bedroom, while he stayed on the couch._

_However, Kristoff gave her a severe reprimanding the next morning._

'_What if somebody else found you, and took advantage of you in that state!' He had cried._

_Safe to say, Anna didn't let it happen again and over time the two had become firm friends. She didn't really go out any more anyway, spending most of her time in hers or Kristoff's apartment after a hard day at work._

"_What's all this stuff?" Anna referred to the papers strewn on the coffee table as she plonked herself down on the couch._

"_Oh, it's just newspapers and stuff from Norway." He called out from the kitchen. "I like bringing part of home back with me, if that makes any sense…Drink?"_

"_Mm, got any chocolate milk?"_

_Anna knew he'd be smirking, even with his back turned to her. "Yeah, of course. I'd be in trouble if I didn't right?"_

"_Yeah you would. I wouldn't ever be able speak to you again!" It was good to be able to joke around with her friend again._

_Kristoff was Norwegian and had just been back to visit his family for two months. Two very long months for Anna._

_He returned with the drinks and sat down next to her, picking up one of the newspapers._

"_This is really interesting actually." He pointed to an article with a large colour photo of a castle ruin. "They're starting this major project to restore this castle that has been in disrepair since the nineteenth century, and they're going to re-build it up as a massive tourist attraction!"_

_Anna wasn't particularly interested in history stuff, but she loved seeing the blonde so animated. She took the paper from him to take a look at the picture. Upon closer look she could see an official looking woman standing in the foreground. 'Is-slottet Associates CEO- Ms N. E. Snøfnugg' the caption read. Anna found herself staring at the photo. The woman seemed familiar somehow- really, achingly familiar._

_Anna's breath caught in her throat. She looked different, but there could be no mistaking those intense, cerulean eyes. It's her._

_Anna's eyes stung as she threw the paper down and rushed out of the room._

"_Sorry Kristoff," she said as an afterthought, as she slammed the door of the bathroom behind her._

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><p>Anna didn't know how long she'd been in there when she finally brought herself to step out of the bathroom, attempting to straighten out her hideously creased pencil skirt. Kristoff was sitting awkwardly on the couch, a half-eaten pepperoni pizza in front of him on the table.<p>

_I owe him an explanation._

"Pizza?" He asked hesitantly.

She nodded and went over to sit next to him, taking a piece of now-cool pizza. It was really tasty but still couldn't fill the empty pit she felt in her stomach.

Kristoff was silent, giving her time to be ready to talk. She really couldn't have asked for a better friend right now.

"The CEO in that picture…" she started, "it's Elsa."

_Even though it seems she doesn't even call herself that any more._

He looked back at her in confusion. "Elsa? Your sister Elsa? You-you're sure?"

"Yeah," she whispered burying her head into his shoulder as he brought her into a hug.

Anna hadn't seen her sister in almost ten years, since they were teenagers and Elsa had left for college. For the three years Elsa was in college she never once visited home and called once a year on Christmas day- not even on any of Anna's birthdays. And then she had disappeared. Her parents never let on to Anna if they knew where she was or not. Elsa hadn't even come to their funeral. Anna wasn't even sure if she knew where were dead. She had just cut herself off altogether.

"I wanna go see her Kristoff."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? She might not want to see you."

"I know, but I was thinking about it when I was in the bathroom. All these years I have had no idea where she was and I'd given up hope of ever finding her. But now I've been given this completely random opportunity to see her. I mean, what are the chances of that happening? I think I'm just going to have to take that risk."

_To at least hear her voice again, even if it breaks me._

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><p><strong>This has been my first attempt at writing Elsanna or a modern AU, so hopefully it's not too bad.<strong>

****Thanks for reading!****


	2. Schwellenangst

**Schwellenangst**

_Schwellenangst: Fear of embarking on something new or crossing a threshold._

**Thanks for all the favourites, follows and reviews so far!**

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><p>The plane dipped in the air, causing Anna to grip onto her arm rest and grit her teeth, her stomach dropping. This was literally the first time Anna had done so much as stepped on a plane, and now her debut just happened to be a seven and a half hour transatlantic flight, all on her own.<p>

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><p><em>A month after she found the picture of her sister, Anna had managed to get some time off work and book a return flight from New York to London.<em>

_Anna turned to face her friend who was running his hair through messy blonde hair._

"_Thanks so much Kristoff. I couldn't have done this if it wasn't for you!" She wrapped her arms around his strong neck._

"_Aagh it's okay." He replied, his cheeks slightly darker as they pulled apart. "Oaken's a good guy. He'll see that you're all right once you're there."_

_Oaken was a friend of Kristoff's Norwegian family, who ran a small hotel in London._

"_Anyway you better get going or you'll miss your flight."_

"_All right. See you in two weeks." She forced a wide smile._

_Anna glanced back at his smiling face as she entered the departure lounge, and flexed her fingers in a small wave. When she turned away, she frantically brushed a tear from her eye._

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><p>"Excuse me miss, are you finished?" A flight attendant was leaning over to grab her attention, looking slightly concerned.<p>

"Umm...Y-yes. Thank you." She handed over her barely touched tray of chicken curry and chocolate mousse.

_Wow, I passed up on chocolate dessert. This is really bad._

By now Anna's seatbelt was beginning to press uncomfortably into her full bladder, meaning she would have to cease putting off the inevitable. She rose and excused herself past the passengers in her row, and wobbled herself up to the front of the cabin. She sighed in relief as she saw the green light on the door, pushing it to let herself in.

"Aagh!" Anna gave a startled cry, slamming both hands over her mouth.

The woman inside the cubicle glared back at her with cold, piercing green eyes, before turning her face back to the mirror to fix her red, now smudged, lipstick.

"It's called a lock." Anna mumbled, retreating to let the door slam shut before hearing the lock being harshly pulled across.

After a few moments of Anna standing in the aisle, desperately shuffling from foot to foot, the tall thin woman stepped out. Anna noticed how strangely she was dressed; a huge black and white spotted fur coat covered her down to her ankles and her shoulder length hair was dyed half black and white, divided straight down the middle.

Anna moved forward only to be showed back by a bony elbow to the stomach.

"Hey!" Anna didn't even get an acknowledgement as the woman stormed past with her head in the air, coat swishing behind her.

_Rude,_ Anna thought as she clutched at her sore middle.

Upon returning to her seat, Anna managed to trip as she attempted to squeeze past the man seated next to her, and promptly landed on top of him, backside first.

Anna leapt up, blushing crimson as she fumbled over her words. "I'm so sorry…I didn't mean that I swear. I mean I'm tripping over my feet all the time, it's not just you. So yeah, I'm really very sorry."

The man nodded politely in reply as Anna collapsed back into her own seat, wishing the floor would open her up and swallow her whole.

_I hate flying! _

She shoved her headphones over her ears and watched a movie she didn't even know the name of, until she felt her eyes grow heavy…

'_Ladies and gentleman we will shortly begin our final descent to London Heathrow.' _Anna's jerked up and blinked as the voice spoke over the intercom. '_We would like to thank you for choosing to fly with us today.'_

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><p>Anna dragged her suitcase through the sliding doors, only to be greeted by grey skies and a torrent of rain.<p>

_I didn't even think to pack an umbrella. It's meant to be the middle of summer, dammit!_

She tried to squint through the droplets landing on her face to find the familiar yellow of a cab. However, the entire place seemed to be totally void of anything remotely resembling one.

_But the signs say this is where the taxis are. Great, what am I going to do?_

"Uh, excuse me." She called out to a woman walking past her, beneath a large umbrella. "Um, could you please tell me where I could find a taxi cab around here?"

The woman knotted her brow and gazed at her curiously, before pointing to a line of cars parked right in front of them.

"Oh, thanks. Sorry to bother you."

_Right Anna, the signs on the roofs do say 'taxi'. Well they're black here then. I'm such a dunce._

"Wandering Oaken's Hotel, 100 Whitechapel road please."

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><p>"Yoo-hoo!" A round man with light brown mutton chops greeted her from the desk. "You must be Miss Anna, ya?"<p>

"Yes that's me!" She puffed from the exertion of lugging her bags around, and removed the soaking strands of strawberry blonde sticking to her face.

_Wow, I must look like a drowned rat!_

"Well we'll quickly get these papers signed, and then you can go to your room and dry off, ya?"

Anna fell into an exhausted heap on her bed, warm and dry at last. She reached for her phone in the realisation that she hadn't texted Kristoff yet.

_Knowing him he'll start fretting soon._

'_Hi. Just letting u know I arrived safe and sound. Thx again. G'night :)' _

She resolved to speak to him properly in the morning.

Anna was much too tired and jet-lagged to go to dinner, making the decision to stay in her room for the evening. She leant over to the side table and grabbed the picture of Elsa she had cut out of the newspaper. She ran her finger over the image of the woman she hadn't been able to stop looking at since she first saw it.

_N. E. Snøfnugg. I wonder what the initials stand for. Naomi? Emma? It could be anything. And her surname─what's with that? It sounds foreign or something…But she's American!_

Elsa was still definitely recognisable from when she last saw her as an eighteen year old, but there was something different about her. Her platinum blonde hair was tied back in what looked like a braided bun, instead of the loose braid she always used to wear, and a neat fringe swept across her forehead. Her face had also changed, her cheek bones more defined, her cheeks no longer full but hollow and her jaw jutted out further.

_She's thinner, _Anna decided.

She was wearing a white shirt and grey pant suit, which was obviously very neatly pressed.

_She was always neat and tidy, unlike me. No wonder she didn't want anything to do with me!_

Anna couldn't quite gouge how she was feeling about Elsa right now. She had acted on a whim to come here in the first place; all she knew was that now she had this insatiable desire to see her again, which wasn't going to go away unless she acted on it. Even though Elsa had essentially run away, and most likely hated her with a passion, Anna couldn't help it. She had never been able to hate her sister, despite all she had done.

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><p>"<em>Hey, Elsa. Come out here and play!"<em>

"_No, leave me alone!"_

"_Oh please, you never come out any more!"_

"_I said no. GO AWAY!"_

_A dejected Anna slumped her shoulders and walked back to her own room. This is how it always was now._

_Anna came to despise the blue and white door that led to her sister's bedroom, always a barrier between them, as they drifted further and further apart._

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><p>"Good morning, Miss Anna!" Oaken came over and greeted her.<p>

After waking up early and chatting to Kristoff─4am her time and 11pm his─Anna was seated at a table in the small but comfortable dining room. Having gone without eating anything the day before, she was relishing the delectable chocolate croissants they had available at the breakfast buffet. She was currently on her third.

"Good morning." She hurriedly swallowed her mouthful. "Thank you for the breakfast. This is really delicious!"

"Why thank you, but I did not make it. I will pass your compliments onto my chef." He gave her a warm smile. "Now, getting down to business. Kristoff informed me you have a ten o'clock appointment at 'Is-slottet Associates' this morning, ya?"

"Um, yes, that's right."

"My husband will be taking you there in his car."

"Oh, no, no, no, I'm sure I can find my own way there…"

He cut her off and held up his hand to stop her. "No, it would be our pleasure." He spoke firmly, smiling again, to show the conversation was over.

"Yoo-hoo, Jeremy!" Oaken called through a door connected to the dining room.

A toned, fair haired man stepped out, flashing a winning smile.

"Ah, you must be Anna. I'm Jeremy." He gave her his hand, and Anna shook it.

'Pleased to meet you." She replied, smiling back.

_This family's really nice, _she thought to herself.

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><p>Anna pressed her nose up to the glass of the car window, taking in the sights of the new and unfamiliar city. The sun was shining, and she couldn't help thinking about how amazing everything looked.<p>

All too soon, however, the now familiar butterflies took back their residence in Anna's stomach when the car came to a stop. She hopped out, thanking Jeremy profusely, and walked to the entrance of the building, tottering on her black heels. She had opted to wear work clothes─a black skirt and matching black blazer over a white ruffled blouse. Her hair was up in a neat bun at the back of her head, instead of her usual two braids.

She straightened out her outfit as best as she could, before glancing up at the building, and let out a sharp intake of breath.

"Wow," she breathed.

The building was shaped like a triangular prism, made almost entirely of faintly blue-tinged glass panels, meeting in a sharp point at the top. The whole thing looked as though it might have been made of ice.

She took one last deep breath, and walked through the doors. The inside was just as magnificent, if not more so, than the exterior. The floor was coated in material that resembled glass (or ice?!) and the glass walls were letting in rays of sun that gave the place a soft, warm glow. In the centre of the lobby was placed an ornate fountain, and above her on the high ceiling were a number of elaborate crystal chandeliers.

The woman at the front reception directed Anna to the lift that would take her to the top floor…and Ms. Snøfnugg's office. The lift itself was also made of clear glass, and through it she could make out the city scape as she rose higher and higher. The sun was glistening on a body of water which Anna thought may have been the river Thames.

The lift opened out into a large foyer, in which everything once again seemed to be made of glass, and another chandelier, albeit smaller than the ones downstairs, hung from the ceiling. To the far right of the space there was a glass desk in which a dark haired man was seated, busily typing away on a laptop.

Anna reached the desk and drew his attention.

"Excuse me. I'm Anna Anderson from Architect's Journal. I'm here for a ten o'clock interview with Ms. Snøfnugg." She and Kristoff had decided that posing as a journalist would be a good way to get an interview with Elsa, and it had worked.

"Welcome Ms. Anderson!" he exclaimed cheerily, coming around to her side of the desk. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Olaf Summers, Ms. Snøfnugg's PA."

Anna extended a hand for him to shake, but instead found herself being pulled into a hug.

"Sorry about that, I'm a hugger." Olaf explained, slightly abashed. "She should be ready to see you now." He beckoned towards the door. "Just knock."

Anna stood staring at the heavy frosted glass door in front of her, with the words '_Ms. N. E. Snøfnugg, CEO'_ etched into it, biting down hard on her lip. She lifted her hand, letting it hang in the air for a moment.

"Just knock." Olaf's voice came from her right. "Don't you know how to knock?"

Anna tapped on the door and waited with bated breath.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading :)<strong>

**I hope this chapter wasn't too boring without any real Elsanna. Next chapter should be more interesting.**


	3. Cirro

** Cirro**

_Cirro - A prefix to cloud-type names for clouds that are at high altitudes and composed of ice crystals._

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><p><strong>Warning: The rating has change to 'M' (mainly to be on the safe side, and for later chapters).<strong>

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><p>It was as if time had slowed and everything around her had blurred into a haze, as Anna waited to hear the familiar voice from inside the room. However, what shocked Anna more than anything was that familiar voice she been expecting, dreading and aching for did not come. Oh, there was most definitely a voice that sounded out in answer to Anna's tentative knock, but it wasn't the one she knew─the one that belonged to the one she loved.<p>

What she heard was harsh and formal, yes─but that was what Anna had anticipated. That was exactly how her sister had always been, and most probably still was. What had caused Anna's heart to drop to the pit of her chest cavity like a brick, was that Elsa sounded _foreign._ Not foreign as if she had been living in another country for several years and developed an accent; she spoke as if English was never her first language.

A small part of the back of Anna's mind began brewing the idea that she had been mistaken and this was not really Elsa. A larger part of her mind developed the thought that this was a mistake because she _was _correct, and this was Elsa─the sister that wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.

"Enter."

Anna's horribly sweaty palm slipped on the brass door knob as she slowly turned it and stepped into the room.

The office was spacious enough, but gave the illusion of being larger than it really was due to the minimalist furnishings, and the window that covered the entirety of the wall opposite the door. There was a blue tinted, transparent glass desk in front of the magnificent window and a set of white leather couches to the far right, near the door. Other than a couple of green, leafy plants, the rest of the place was awfully bare and lifeless.

"Please take a seat."

The same strange voice came from the other side of the room, over near the window. Anna edged over to one of the stiff couches and sat, just in time to prevent her legs giving way from the amount they were shaking. As much as she wanted to see if the woman had recognised her, she couldn't gather up the strength she needed to lift her head and see. Instead, she remained, head bowed, staring down at her clasped, trembling hands.

All of her carefully rehearsed lines were totally forgotten, she would have to play this by ear. There was no point in pretending─Elsa would recognise her.

There was silence for a moment before Anna heard the clack of heels as the probably-Elsa figure moved across the hard flooring. However, her footsteps did not come closer to Anna─she was pacing back and forth.

"I think we've been through this before, and time and time again I give you my answer."

Anna couldn't look up.

"I want absolutely nothing to do with you, or anything you wish to speak about." She practically snarled.

Anna still didn't look up, feeling her chest constrict and her entire body go void of feeling.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important matters to attend to. I frankly don't have the energy to speak to you, even if I wished to."

Anna didn't look, and even if she had, the tears pricking her eyes would have blurred her vision.

"Goodbye." The mysterious voice was disengaged but firm.

Anna fled the room, slamming the door behind her.

_I have had it with fucking doors!_

"Ms Anderson, are you oka…" Anna ignored Olaf's concern as she rushed past his desk and back through the icy lobby, towards the lift and jammed her finger onto the 'down' button.

_Open, open, open. Fuck…please open!_

Just as Anna would have resorted to finding something to prise those damn doors open there was a soft _'ding'_ as the heavy glass barriers finally parted. Anna didn't waste a moment before stumbling forward, and not looking where she was going, got her heel caught in the grate and toppled over.

As Anna stuck her hands out in front of her to brace her contact with the floor, she was startled when she found herself being caught by a pair of strong arms. With the help of the stranger Anna managed to right herself and lift up her tear stained face to come face to face with her rescuer─her incredibly _good looking _rescuer. He was a fairly tall man with large yellow-green eyes, neatly styled auburn hair and sideburns, and thin lips stretching in a friendly smile that exposed a set of perfect pearly whites.

_Oh gods he's gorgeous─wait, what?!_

"Oh, thank you?" Gorgeous guy spoke.

_I didn't say that out loud? Dammit!_

"Sorry, err what I meant was thank you for catching me. I don't normally make habit of crashing into random people…well as a matter of fact it did happen yesterday…but I didn't do it on purpose. Not that I think you thought that anyway, it's just I'm rambling and you're so gorgeous…I did it again didn't I?" She grinned sheepishly at the man, only for him to give another amused smile back.

"It's quite all right, _really_," he grinned. "I'm Hans Islington by the way." He held his hand out to her.

_Hans._

Anna returned the greeting, shaking his hand firmly. "Anna. Anna Anderson. I'm here on a short trip from New York."

"Well I certainly hope you are enjoying it over here in this side of the world." He beamed. "Anyway, I meant to ask, _Anna" ─_Anna almost swooned when he spoke her name with his British accent─"are you all right? You looked pretty upset when you came cascading through the lift." His smile faded slightly as her crinkled his forehead, green orbs gazing at her inquisitively.

"Oh, oh that? No, I'm perfectly fine now thank you. Just had a bit of shock is all. I'm good." She did her best to put on a cheerful façade, as she wasn't about to disclose that piece of information to a total stranger, even if said stranger _was_ incredibly attractive.

"Ah, that's good then." He flashed a wide toothy smile. "Anyway, between you and me, you aren't the first one to come crashing out of there." He nodded his head towards Elsa's office. "The Ice Queen can be pretty scary."

_Ice Queen? Well I guess that would make sense._

"Yeah, thanks. Well, um, I guess I better be going then." She awkwardly stepped further into the lift and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Ah yes, of course. Are you going down?" He hovered his hand over the buttons.

She nodded. "But didn't you want to get off on this floor?"

"Anna, it would be my pleasure to take you down." He gave her that smile again, so how could she resist _that_?

"Okay."

As they travelled down in comfortable silence, Anna noticed that the bright sunlight that leaked through the glass on her way up had disappeared, only to be replaced with dark rain clouds coming overhead.

Upon reaching ground floor and exiting the lift, Hans extended his hand again for another friendly handshake. "It was a pleasure to meet you Anna."

"Yeah, you too Hans!"

She was about to turn and leave before Hans grabbed her shoulder, and seemed to be considering if he should ask her something.

"Can I ask you something crazy?"

"I love crazy!" She gushed.

"Would you like to come on a date with me tomorrow night…well actually not really a date, date, because there'll be other people there. It's more of a party actually, a work gathering…" Now it was Hans turn to ramble.

"Of course." She grinned. "I would love to!" Anna was absolutely flattered, and felt a warmth spread across her cheeks, no doubt turning them an embarrassing crimson.

"That's great…just take this card, it's got my number on it." He handed her a business card. "The party's at eight o'clock, and I'll pick you up in my car. Where are you staying?"

"Wandering Oaken's Hotel, Whitechapel."

"Okay, I'll see you then Anna." He flexed his fingers in a shy wave, which Anna returned, before turning around and walking back towards the lift.

As Anna left the building she felt her legs were shaking again, but for a different reason─a good reason. Actually, the whole time she was talking to Hans she almost forgotten what had transpired between her and Elsa just a short while ago.

_I just need to forget about Elsa…it's no big deal, I'm used to her rejection. At least I know now she most definitely doesn't want anything to do with me. That's fine…I don't need to care about her any more._

It was only when she had walked some way down the street and was staring at Hans' business card with a wistful smile on her face that she realised.

_Hans Islington, architect, Is-slottet Associates. Is-slottet Associates, Elsa's company. _She scoffed. _Fancy someone as nice as him working for _her. _Oh well, he invited me to his work party…he must really like me. Work party…at Is-slottet…Elsa's company. _It all ran through Anna's head as she felt her stomach drop. _Oh shit, shit, shit Anna, you idiot!_

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><p>Anna stood in the bathroom of her hotel room, studying the instructions for the package of hair dye she held in her hands. It was just that wash out stuff─nothing permanent─she wasn't brave enough for that. This was just so she would be able to go to the party without a certain sister recognising her straight away and telling her to get out of her life, <em>again. <em>Anyhow, she wasn't going for Elsa─she was going as Hans' date.

When the realisation of her stupid mistake hit her yesterday, she almost walked back into that building to tell Hans she couldn't go. But then she came to the decision that she would go anyway and enjoy herself with her sexy date─she did _not _need Elsa ruling her life any more. Even after all these years had gone by that she hadn't seen hide nor tail of that particular sister, she still went to bed most nights thinking about her. Wondering about what she was doing and where she was; hoping that she was happy and at the same time hoping she was not. Now however, she knew she was perfectly all right without her, and Anna would just have to let it go.

She walked somewhat aimlessly down the street before arriving at a shopping centre and deciding to have a look round before going back to the hotel. She stepped into a small dress shop and ran her hand idly over a green, strappy summer dress and gave and exhaled softly.

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><p>"<em>Elsa, is this dress okay?" Anna self-consciously exited the dressing room of the store.<em>

"_What?" Elsa answered absent-mindedly, her back to Anna._

"_I-I was just wondering if you thought the dress was okay?"_

_Elsa turned around, and quickly scanned icy blue eyes over her sister's body, wrinkling her nose slightly. "Yeah it's fine." The tone in her voice was neutral, not giving any evidence as to what she was really thinking._

"_All right, I'll get this one then." Anna crept back behind the velvet curtain she had come out from._

"_Yeah, can you hurry up about it, please? I haven't got all day." Elsa snapped._

_Eighteen year old Elsa never seemed to have any time for her fifteen year old sister any more. Not that she had for quite some time anyway…Anna was used to it. Well, that's what she told herself when she looked over her half naked adolescent body in the mirror─the body of a worthless pile of junk._

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><p>She had been so dumb─Elsa wouldn't allow her to be there at the party of her workplace. She traipsed down the linoleum floor with hunched shoulders as she resolved to give Hans a call as she got back to Oaken's. As she was about to exit the building to go outside a crack of thunder bellowed through the building and the sound of heavy rain drops could be heard on the glass roof.<p>

_Oh damn! I still don't have an umbrella!_

She did a one eighty degree turn and wandered back the other way, in order to spy a shop in which she could buy one. Eventually after going up two sets of escalators and in and out of a number of shops with no luck, she came across a '_Boots'_ which had a stand of large colourful umbrellas just by the door. She quickly grabbed a lime green one and entered the store, in which they were also selling a wide variety of makeup and hair products.

Once outside again in the pouring rain, Anna hailed a taxi (remembering the colour this time), and made her way back clutching a bag full of hair dye and concealer.

Anna gasped as she stared at her reflection in the mirror and thought that if she would happen to bump into this woman on the street she wouldn't recognise herself. She had made the decision to wear a plain black, form fitting knee length dress─mainly because it had full sleeves that would cover her arms and the freckles that covered them. Her hair was light, almost platinum, blonde, as she had wanted it to be as far from her original colour as possible. She had styled in a single French braid that hung loosely over her shoulder; again a style she would not ever go for under usual circumstances. Finally she had applied a liberal amount of the new concealer over her nose and cheeks, where most of her freckles lay, and evened out her complexion with foundation.

Despite the motive for this change in appearance being a disguise to keep Elsa away, Anna really liked the way she looked. Although she didn't normally take the time to try to hide her freckles, she generally saw them as unsightly blemishes. This way her tan skin looked virtually flawless.

_Like Elsa's._

She was startled out of her musings by her mobile buzzing violently from where it sat next to the sink. It was a message from Hans─Anna had texted him with her number earlier that day.

'_Hey baby.' _Aww, how cute! _'I'm downstairs in the lobby.'_

'_Hey! Be down in just a minute!' _She replied, letting out tiny squeak of excitement and clutching both hands to her chest.

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><p>Anna realised too late she had made the most idiot decision in the whole world, no <em>universe<em>. She knew all along this would be the biggest recipe for disaster, but being her typical self, had opted to try and remain optimistic about it all. She failed. _Miserably._

Han had been incredibly sweet the whole time. He had greeted her in the hotel lobby, dressed in a black suit, stiff white shirt and black bow-tie, and almost reeled back in shock when Anna descended the stairs towards him.

"Wow, Anna. You look _different._" He took her hand in his own, before placing a chaste kiss on the back of her hand. "It's a good different. You look beautiful either way to me."

Anna could barely keep herself upright. "Thank you," she breathed.

* * *

><p>Hans had told her the venue of the party was a ballroom, so she was mildly shocked when he pulled his black Mercedes in the small car park behind the <em>'Is-Slottet' <em>building. Anna noticed the spot reserved for 'manager' was vacant.

So, the building Anna already thought was incredible sported its own, albeit fairly small, ballroom. It was situated on the ground floor, just behind the reception she had been in the previous day. The room was not too different from what she had seen of the rest of the building, with glass walls and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, a dance floor and low stage at the far end. There were a number of small, round tables set up around the perimeter, lit up with little tea light candles.

Anna and Hans went and sat at one of the tables, Anna taking the seat facing away from the door but with a clear view of the stage. It was just as well as it prevented her from noticing a tall, thin woman with platinum blonde hair styled in an intricate twisted bun, and floor length ice blue gown, stepping into the room.

It was all very nice as they shared pleasantries, and discussed trivial things such as the difference in weather between London and New York. Champagne flowed freely, and as they became tipsier and less self-conscious, the conversation turned to more personal matters. Anna learned that Hans was the youngest of _thirteen _brothers before him, which she could not believe. One sister was enough trouble, she snickered internally.

Hans told her about how it all hadn't been that great, and how his older brothers used to gang up and bully him mercilessly.

_Elsa would never hurt me, _she thought as Hans recounted a tale of one of his brothers shoving his head down the toilet to make him give up his pocket money.

Hans' accounts had emboldened Anna to talk to him about the death of her parents in a car accident and how her reclusive sister had now estranged herself from her. It made her begin to feel uncomfortable though, when she realised that the sister she spoke about was potentially in the room at that very moment. It was at this point she just wanted to block out the world. Families were just fucking unfair.

Anna kept accepting champagne as the caterers brought trays of it past, gradually going beyond the realm of tipsy into that of drunk. She would never normally drink like this, and even if she had tried to Kristoff or her other friends at home wouldn't have let her. Hans didn't seem to care how much she had, even though he himself had stopped accepting drinks some time ago.

It may have been the alcohol or the shock─most probably both─but Anna was not able to pull herself together any longer. The last thing she remembered was Hans telling her that the CEO would be giving out employee awards, and Elsa (or Ms. Snøfnugg, apparently), stepping onto the stage. Seeing her sister there, in the flesh, only a few metres away was all just too much. Especially when cold, sapphire eyes made their gaze across the room, and made contact with her own. Anna's head began to spin uncomfortably, before her body slackened and slipped off of the chair, causing her to crack her head on the hard floor beneath. Everything went black.

Anna lay on the cold floor, slowly drifting back into consciousness.

"…Anna, can you hear me?" That sounded like Hans' voice.

Anna heard a click clack approaching, as if someone was running in heels. "…What on earth is happening here? Is she drunk?" A slightly less familiar, feminine voice.

"…I, well, yes she did have a fair amount I suppose…"

"…Is she with you? Shouldn't you have been making sure she was okay, Hans?" She sounded royally pissed off.

"…Hey." That same voice, but much softer now. Cool hands lay themselves gently on the sides of her head, surprisingly making her feel much better. Anna blinked her eyes open to look up at the face above her. "How are you feeling?"

"B-better now, thank you. I think I just banged my head." She sat up, still feeling groggy and light headed.

"Can you get up?" The woman asked gently, in a smooth, foreign sounding voice.

"Y-yes, I think so." With the help of strong arms lifting her up, Anna managed to get herself in an upright position.

"I will take her back in my car." The woman's tone was demanding once again, as she acknowledged her date. "Where is she staying?"

Anna didn't remember much of the drive back to the hotel, having fallen asleep soon after they left. The woman had sat in the back seat with her, allowing Anna to lean her head on her bony but comfortable shoulder. Anna drifted off leaning into soft, platinum blonde hair and drinking in a sweet, somehow familiar, scent.

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><p>Anna woke in her hotel bed the next morning, head pounding. She was alone.<p>

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><p><strong>Thanks so much for reading!<strong>

**And thanks to all those who reviewed, followed or added this as a favourite.**


	4. Espresso

**Espresso**

_Espresso: a type of strong black coffee made by forcing steam through ground coffee beans._

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><p><strong>Thanks for all the follows and reviews, it is much appreciated.<strong>

**Apologies for the last chapter being so angsty. This chapter does have it's fair share of angst, but it's nothing like the last one. I hope you like it!**

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><p><em>The corridor seemed to go on for eternity; never ending. All she could focus on was the blue and white patterned door at the end, looming there with its foreboding presence. She was getting closer and closer now, but never ever close enough. She stretched out a trembling hand to touch the handle, but just couldn't quite reach. So she continued walking, arm outstretched, as a heavy feeling took up residence in the bottom of her stomach.<em>

_Then the door began shifting its shape, changing from coloured to frosted glass. She felt herself get closer this time, until her hand brushed across the cool of the handle, turning it to ice. As she wrapped her fingers around it, her hand became stuck─frozen in place. Frost began creeping up her arm towards the rest of her body, until she could feel herself become rigid as she froze solid. Try as she might, she could not move, and her desperate screams were silent and unheard. _

_Someone was knocking on the other side of the door._

'_Anna! Anna!'_

_Knock, knock, knock._ Anna was startled out of her fitful sleep, hair sticking to her forehead and hands clammy from where they had been gripping onto bed sheets. Nightmares were a common occurrence for her, and this one in particular was a recurring one she'd been having for years. However, she would normally wake before she reached the door─the part in which the door changed and encased her in ice was new.

_Knock, knock, knock-knock-knock-knock._ Oh, there was actually someone knocking.

"Who-who is it?" Her throat was dry and scratchy.

"Miss Anna? It's Oaken. May I come in?"

"Y-yes, come in," she rasped.

Oaken slowly opened the heavy oak door and stepped in, carefully balancing a tray piled high with delicious smelling food.

"Good morning, Miss Anna." He greeted as he brought the food over to her bedside. "As the doctor requested bed rest for you today, I've brought you breakfast room service, ya?"

Anna sat herself up in bed, head swimming as she did so.

"Thank you." She gave him a lopsided smile as she brought her hand up to her still throbbing head, trying to remember the reason for her apparent discomfort. "Doctor?" She questioned, still not quite able to gauge what was going on.

"Yes, you came back in quite a state last night with a suspected concussion, so the doctor was called to check everything was okay."

"Oh?" Anna was still confused.

"Yes, but he gave you the all clear as you were only slightly concussed, ya? Absolutely nothing to worry about now." He smiled. "The woman who brought you in was very anxious about you though."

"Woman…wasn't it a man who brought me? Hans…his name's Hans Islington. I was with him all night, at least I think."

Oaken looked puzzled. "No, a Ms. Snøfnugg brought you home and said she was an acquaintance of yours?"

"Oh…yes. I do…know her." Her voice shook slightly, as her body became cold and clammy.

_Elsa? It couldn't have been her, could it?_

"Oaken, if you don't mind excusing me for a moment to go to the bathroom?" She clutched at her stomach, her shock seeming to have triggered another symptom of having drunk much too much champagne. That she did remember.

"Of course, ya?" He moved when she got out of bed to let her past. "Aspirins are included on the breakfast menu." He winked at her knowingly.

"Thank you." She breathed as she closed the door to her en suite.

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><p>Hours later, Anna was lounging in bed watching shows on Netflix, in an attempt to take her mind off everything. It wasn't working.<p>

'_Hey Kristoff! Please call me when you're awake :)'_

Her phone rang just moments later, Kristoff's name flashing on the screen.

"Kristoff! You're awake! Isn't it the middle of the night over there?"

'_Umm, well my phone kinda woke me up, so now I'm awake...so yeah...' She heard him stifle a yawn._

"I am so sorry...I should have realised!"

'_No, no...It's fine.' He sleepily let out the yawn he had been holding. 'Did you want to talk about something?'_

"Actually, yeah! Can I ask for your advice?"

'_Umm suuurrre.' He yawned as he spoke and smacked his lips together. 'I'm all ears...well actually not all ears, because that would be just weird...but eyes, and nose and feet and other things...including some parts I would only let a doctor or my girlfriend see..._

"Kristoff!" Gods, he really was half asleep.

'_Oh right...sorry. I meant I'm listening.'_

"Okay, listen up cause this gets weird. I went to see Elsa a couple of days ago, and she wouldn't even speak to me...practically bit my head off..."

'_Oh, Anna I'm so sorry.'_

"I'm all right now I guess, but this is where it gets odd. I basically charged out of her office in a complete state, and then I ran straight into the arms of literally...my prince charming! And guess what? He asked me on a date there and then!"

'_Anna, you have to be careful!'_

She rolled her eyes, glad that he wouldn't be able to see her. "Yes, I know, but we didn't do anything. Hans just took me to his work party."

'_Good. But what's so strange about that?'_

"Hold on, let me finish!' Anna gave a mock sigh. 'It just turned out that Hans is an architect at Elsa's firm, so that meant his work party may have just been hers as well..."

'_Anna!...Did you go? What did she do?'_

"Yeah I did. I nearly chickened out though, until I had the idea of going in disguise!"

'_What?! Did you dress up as Cat Woman or something?'_

"No I did not! I just coloured my hair and covered my freckles."

'_And did it work?'_

"Well, actually I'm not quite sure." She bit down on her lip in thought.

'_Oh...'_

"I don't know because Elsa_ looked_ at me!"

Anna could hear him snorting in the background._ 'Sorry, what?'_

"She looked at me as though she knew me, and then because I _may_ have had a little too much champagne, I _may_ have just fallen off my chair and given myself concussion..."

'_Anna, why didn't you tell me this before?! Are you all right?'_

"Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. The doctor gave me the all clear and everything!"

_Kristoff gave a relieved sigh. 'Gods Anna, you scared me!'_

"I'm sorry.' She felt bad for not telling him straight away. 'But because of that I don't really remember anything else that happened last night. All I knew is that somebody brought me home, and first of all I thought it was Hans who brought me."

'_And it wasn't?'_

"No...It was Elsa."

'_Oh...'_

"This is why I'm so confused. Cause when Oaken told me it was her, I thought she would've done it out of some sort of duty or other, blah-di-blah, but he said she was really worried about me...and she definitely would have known who I was by then as well."

'_Yeah, but I guess anyone would be concerned about someone who had passed out cold on the floor...'_

"I know, but she didn't have to do it is all. I just don't know what to think..."

'_Unfortunately, the only way you can really find out is to ask her yourself, if she'll let you see her that is.'_

'I know...That's what I wanted to ask you actually.'

'_Ah...Well I guess you're the only one who can really make that decision. Do you want to see her?'_

"I don't know really, but I do know I want answers. It's just that getting them may be painful...But if I don't go, not knowing is gonna bug me forever."

_Kristoff was silent for a moment, most probably pondering over his thoughts. 'I think, as cheesy as this sounds, you're going to have to go with your heart on this one.'_

And so, she made her decision−a decision based on the fact that she still loved her sister, and clung to the thought that maybe some small part of Elsa cared for her as well.

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><p>So here she was, having decided to return. Anna chewed anxiously on her nails as she rose higher and higher in the lift she had first met Hans, following her disastrous meeting. She felt her heart thump in her chest as she heard the all too familiar <em>ding <em>as she reached the top floor, glass doors spreading apart. She took a deep breath, pulled her shoulders back, stepped out and strode purposefully through the lobby towards Olaf's desk.

She could hear her heels clicking on the hard floor, which gave her a feeling of confidence and authority that she so desperately needed. As much as she hadn't really felt like dressing up for the occasion, Anna had still opted to dress as smart and business like as possible. Although she did not feel as though she should be impressing Elsa now, looking professional made her feel much more sure of herself than if she had turned up in jeans and a t-shirt. She wore the same outfit as the first time; her hair in a neat twisted bun, with a braid across the front of her head, above her fringe. It was back to its natural strawberry blonde colour now, albeit a few stubborn platinum streaks that had refused to wash out.

"Hello Mr. Summers." She greeted.

"Ms. Anderson!" Olaf grinned, getting up immediately to engulf her in a tight hug. "And no need for formalities. Just Olaf is fine."

"Okay, Olaf." She smiled politely as he released her. "And in that case, please call me Anna."

Olaf's exuberance didn't really faze her at all, as she was quite a people person herself. The way he treated her like an old friend, despite them barely having exchanged two sentences, made this whole awkward situation slightly easier for her.

"Okay _Anna, _what can I do for you?" He asked as he sat back down. Anna was glad he hadn't mentioned her hasty exit the other day.

"I just wanted to see if Ms. Snøfnugg was available to see me?" Now she could hear a quiver in her voice.

"Let's see shall we?" He looked at his screen. "Half past twelve? She should be on her lunch-break now..."

"...Oh well, in that case I'll just come back later..." Anna turned to go, taking the opportunity to escape what she was here to do.

"Oh, she takes lunch in her office so I'm sure she won't mind. I'll just ask her."

_She probably will mind when she finds out who's here._

Olaf pressed a button on his speaker phone before Anna heard Elsa's voice coming through the machine. "Olaf?"

"Hi, Ms. Snøfnugg! I have Ms. Anderson here to see you. Can I send her in?"

There was silence for a moment, as though she was considering it. "Ms. Anderson? Y-yes...that's fine." Surprisingly enough she hadn't refused.

Anna heard the phone on the other end immediately disconnect.

"Alright, you can go in now. And there's no need to knock this time." Olaf smirked.

Anna rolled her eyes at him, as the butterflies that had already taken up residence in her stomach were now having a WWE wrestling match.

Anna gripped the handle of the door that had taken its place in her nightmares, turned it and stepped into the room for the second time. This time however, she was determined not to let it get to her.

_I can do this. I'm strong. _

Anna silently gasped as she made her entrance. Elsa was standing over near the window, with her back facing away from the door. She was wearing a pale blue knee length skirt and matching blazer, and Anna could see she wore skin coloured tights as they wrinkled a little round her bony ankles. On her feet were a pair of blue, impossibly high heels and her hair was tied in a thick french braid that ran down her back. Light blonde strands coming were sticking out at awkward angles, as though she had been messing with it.

Anna wasn't sure if she had noticed her come in or not, so alerted her presence by quietly clearing her throat, hoping it didn't seem too rude.

"Ahem."

Obviously she hadn't been aware, as she whipped around straight away to face her, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights.

It only took her a moment to regain her composure before she spoke, albeit so softly Anna would have missed it if she wasn't paying utmost attention−which she was.

"Hi."

_Wow._

"Hi...hi me?" She squeaked, bringing both her hands up to her chest.

_Oh shit, of course hi you! There's no one else in this damn room._

Anna half expected Elsa to laugh at her or say something bitingly sarcastic, but to her relief she didn't. Instead she gave her the dignity of a polite nod of the head.

"Umm...hi?" She was lost for words.

Elsa didn't reply, obviously waiting for Anna to say something; she was the one to have come to see her after all. She decided not to dance around the inevitable and just cut to the chase.

"Why did you take me back after the party?" She gave her best attempt at a commanding tone.

"You weren't meant to be there." She muttered, straightening the collar of her crisp white blouse.

_Figures._

"So you recognised me then?" Anna kept her tone firm.

"Yes." She ran her hand through her fringe. "I did."

"Why wasn't I meant to be there anyway? Hans asked me as his date, so officially I have every right to…"

"…I don't trust him." She bit her lip turning her head slightly. "You weren't meant to be there because you shouldn't have been there with Hans."

_Oh._

It wasn't the answer Anna expected, but she was too hurt to leave things be. "Why? He's been nothing but nice to me since I met him, unlike _you_…"

Hurt flashed across her sister's face, before she turned back around to face the window.

"Fine, I thought maybe I could come back here and work things out and find out where I stand, but obviously I'm still wasting your precious time."

_Huh, this time it's me doing the rejecting._

Anna stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

"Thanks for your help Olaf, but it looks as though I won't be coming back again." She acknowledged him as she sailed past.

She was almost at the lift doors when she heard it.

"Anna!" Her voice sounded so broken and desperate that Anna didn't know if it could possibly be her. What made it clear though was that she spoke without any strange accent─it was the voice of the Elsa she knew long ago. How long had it been since Elsa had spoken her name?

Anna turned slowly back around to see Elsa standing in the doorway of her office, bent over with her hands wrapped around her middle. She had completely dropped her façade for her, and Anna just couldn't find it in her heart to go. So she went right back towards her sister.

When she reached her, Elsa walked hunched over her into the office, Anna following, and shut the door softly behind them.

"I'm sorry Anna." She whispered. "I have no right to say what you should or shouldn't do, considering the circumstances." She chuckled dryly, curling in on herself again, but the unfamiliar accent was back. "You should date Hans if that's what you want."

"No need to apologise, but thank you." Anna was totally bewildered, but gave her a reassuring smile.

Elsa looked lost again. "Would you like a coffee? I'm making myself one." She gestured towards a coffee machine on a small table. "It makes double espressos."

"Oh, n-no thank you. I'm not a big coffee drinker actually."

"Okay. You don't have to stay if you don't want. I just wanted you to know that I won't judge you for your decisions." She looked down and began picking at her sleeve.

"That's perfectly okay." She smiled genuinely, her eyes lighting up. "I'd be happy to stay."

Elsa's top lip curved up in the tiniest of smiles before she went and fetched her coffee cup. "Please take a seat, if you like." She walked over to one of the couches and sat, back ramrod straight, motioning for Anna to do the same.

Anna sat down carefully next to her, making sure to leave enough space between them. Even though, it was still surreal being so close to Elsa after all this time. She hadn't changed as much as she thought from looking the photo─maybe it was how she had her hair─but Elsa looked much the same as she always did. She was definitely skinnier, as Anna could see her collar bones jutting out sharply underneath her shirt. There were dark circles under her eyes, making it look as though she probably hadn't slept in a year. She honestly looked a little gaunt; her face very pale.

But she was really physically here now─not just a figment of her imagination or a distant voice telling her to get lost. Despite her apparent fragility Elsa's figure was not that of the gangly teenager she was when she had left; her chest had filled out nicely and must have been at least a cup size larger than Anna's.

Anna gazed at her, watching as her chest gently rose and fell, making her look so alive…

"Are you okay?" Elsa turned to face her, cocking her head slightly to one side.

"Oh…yeah." She hastily replied, realising she must have been staring a little too long.

_Actually, I'm more than okay._

"Hmm." Elsa hummed barely louder than a breath, as she brought her braid around to hang over her shoulder. She tapped her fingers lightly on her cup and furrowed her brow in silent thought, eyes softening with concern. "And your head?"

"Oh, it's absolutely fine now. I feel completely better."

Elsa gave her another tentative half-smile, evidently relieved. "I'm glad."

Elsa's smile faded as quickly as it came as she looked self-consciously back down at her cup. Anna turned her head away and twiddled her thumbs in her lap.

A moment of silence passed before Elsa broke it, looking back up at Anna. "May I ask why you came?" Anna met her eyes and noticed she looked confused, rather than angry. "What I mean is, if you don't mind me asking, how do you know Hans?"

"No, I don't mind." Did she? "I, umm, I kind of crashed into him after I ran out of here the other day." She felt her cheeks getting hot, as she averted her eyes in embarrassment.

Elsa didn't seem to care about that. "You were in here?"

_Wait…What?_

"What do you mean?"

_She surely can't have forgotten. She must be lying!_

"You were here in my office?"

_What the hell?_

Anna got up from her seat and turned to face her sister, balling her fists in rage. "Quit having me on Els─Ms. Snøfnugg or whoever you are, I came in here two days ago to see you and you basically told me to get out! And don't start denying it!"

It was just like when they were younger, always seeming to get in an argument about something. Not much had changed it seemed.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Oh, you don't know what I'm talking about? I'll tell you what I'm talking about! How about this… 'I want absolutely nothing to do with you, or anything you wish to speak about.' or, 'I don't have the time or energy to speak to you, even if I wished to!' Please tell me about that…hmm?"

"I…"

"I know you may not have wanted to see me; I can understand that! To be honest I wasn't even sure I wanted to be here either. But you could have just given me the dignity of telling me that it made you uncomfortable or whatever. And now you're denying you even said it! What the hell…I don't know what to think Elsa!"

"P-please don't call me that. Just not around here…" She fearfully glanced towards the door.

"I think I have the right to call you whatever I damn well wish!"

"Anna calm down and let me speak…please?"

"I know what you're going to say. You'll say I shouldn't have been here in the first place. And I probably shouldn't have, because I know I've only ever been an inconvenience to you. It was the most stupid idea I've ever come up with; a real fucking doozy…"

"Anna!" Elsa stood up to silence her. "I realise now what you're speaking about, and yes I did say all of that." She slowly shook her head. "But not to you."

"But…"

"I've been having issues with the CEO of another firm who I don't exactly see eye to eye with. Well, those words were exchanged with him over the phone. I just don't know how you thought I meant it towards you… I didn't even know you were here…"

"Oh…" Anna suddenly felt really dumb.

"Did you not see I was on the phone?" Elsa had softened her tone right down and sat back down, Anna following suit.

"Uh…no…I umm…I didn't actually look at you. You see, I was nervous and then you started saying all that stuff, and I just assumed you were directing it at me. So, I guess I just couldn't bring myself to meet your eyes after that, so I just ran out of the door."

Elsa nodded. "I see. That is completely understandable."

"But didn't you ask me to sit down…and didn't you hear the door slam?"

"To be honest I wouldn't have been taking much notice. I have a lot of appointments, and people seem to slam my door all of the time so it would have been nothing out of the ordinary." She paused for a moment before meeting Anna's eyes. "Please believe me when I say that I would never have spoken to you like that, even if I didn't want to see you."

"Yeah" Anna whispered. "I'm sorry, and I realise that now. But…would you have wanted to see me?"

"To be honest I don't know." Elsa nibbled her bottom lip, in the same manner that Anna always did. "I would have been surprised, much like I was at the party I suppose." The corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

Anna smiled. "And you recognised me straight away, even though you didn't see me earlier?"

"Actually no, not straight away."

Anna was confused. "Huh? But you looked straight at me from the stage, before I fell off my chair."

"Yes, I did. And I did recognise you, but not as Anna."

"Wh-what?"

"I saw myself…it was as though I was looking right at a younger version of myself in the mirror. It wasn't until I came closer that I realised it was you."

Realisation hit Anna like a ton of bricks─in her feeble attempt at a disguise, Anna had inadvertently turned herself into her sister.

"Oh gods, I honestly didn't realise. All I thought was that I didn't want you to see me, because I thought you'd sent me away and all…"

"It's perfectly fine, please don't worry about it. I was just happy you were okay."

_She was happy._

Elsa changed the subject. "Anyway, I never got to ask what brought you to England. Are you staying long?"

"I'm staying just two weeks─well one and a half to go now. And…umm…I kind of came here to see you." Anna felt herself blush again as she averted her eyes.

"You-you came just to see me?" Elsa's voice was strained and her sapphire eyes were glassy.

Anna nodded. "I saw your picture in the paper─see my friends Norwegian─and yeah, I sorta just came here on impulse. I'm really, really sorry."

Elsa seemed to ponder on something before speaking to herself. "The project." She directed her speech back to Anna. "And please don't apologise, I…"

Anna was startled by a loud ring, as Elsa pulled picked up a phone from beside her.

"Hello Olaf. All right, that's fine. I'll be ready in just a moment." She turned back to Anna. "I'm terribly sorry, but I have a one o'clock appointment…"

"It's okay. I'm just glad we got everything sorted out."

"Me too." Elsa sighed.

"It was really nice seeing you again. I mean if you wanted we could meet up some time before I go back. Not if you don't want…"

"Look, Anna. I am really busy over the next few weeks."

_Here it is─the rejection._

"No, it was a stupid idea…"

"But." She held up a finger. "I'm sure I can squeeze some time in somewhere."

Anna couldn't help but smile up at her in both relief and anticipation, as Elsa handed over her phone─an iPhone 6─and nodded towards Anna.

_She wants me to add my number._

Anna's hands trembled as she typed in her number and stored it under 'Anna', unable to believe this was really happening.

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><p>Outside on the side-walk─in the bright sunshine believe it or not─Anna was trying to process the last half hour. She even had to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming─she wasn't.<p>

_Wow, what just happened? I just can't help feeling worried that she won't contact me though. I should have asked for her number. But then I guess if she didn't want to see me, she wouldn't want me bugging her. She seemed like she wanted to─I'll just have to wait and see._

Just at that moment Anna's phone buzzed in her skirt pocket. It was a message from an unknown number.

'_I thought it beneficial that you might have my number as well. Talk to you soon. Elsa.'_

Anna brought the phone up to her chest and grinned in delight.

_She signed it Elsa! She called herself Elsa, just for me! And she really does want to see me again!_

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><p><strong>So I hope this relieved some anxiety for now.<strong>

**Thanks for reading :)**

**And please review, it means a lot!**


	5. Elske

**Elske**

_Elske: To love._

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><p>Anna made a conscientious decision to make the most of her trip to London as she possibly could, even though the only real reason for coming over was to see her sister. Anyway, she already <em>had<em> managed to see Elsa. Anna still could not believe that she had actually had a conversation of sorts with her, especially as she had made such a dumb fool of herself in the events preceding. But she had, and they had even made an agreement to see one another again before Anna left to go home. Anna couldn't prevent the glowing feeling that spread throughout her chest at the thought that Elsa hadn't pushed her away as she had initially thought. She had been willing to at least give her the time of day, even though she had acted practically shell shocked half the time they were together.

_Well, geez, I wonder why that was. Next time I see her I'm not going to do anything like fall off chairs, sustain a concussion, or bite her head off because I made an idiot mistake._

Despite her present elation Anna did not want to fall under the delusion that Elsa actually _loved _her, as she did Elsa. However, being able to talk to her and have any sort of relationship with her again, no matter how distant, was enough. All she wanted was to see what sort of person she had become and, more importantly, make sure she was doing okay. Anna had been wondering about these questions for years now; she couldn't help it. Elsa was her sister after all, despite her estrangement. What Anna most wanted, and most probably _needed, _to know though, was whether Elsa ever wondered or dreamed about her.

However, it was still good to be able to get out and about, keeping her mind off things. She had managed to tick many of the major tourist attractions off her list─Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, British Museum, Tate Modern─and have a good time. As she couldn't keep paying for cabs or scrounging lifts off well-meaning hotel owners, she had managed to get her head around the public transport. Well…almost.

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><p><em>Anna was waiting in line to go through the barriers of the London Underground.<em>

'_All right Anna, you got this. It's really no different to home─ticket in, walk through gate, ticket out, read map, find platform, hop on train and…voilà! No biggie.'_

_Except it is no issue when the machine doesn't chew the ticket─which it did. Anna had to push her way back through the crowd, trying to avoid bumping too many people in her haste to get back._

"_Sorry, sorry. Can I just come through please? Sorry. Thank you."_

_By the time Anna had paid for a new ticket─of course the woman wouldn't believe she had lost hers─she had missed her train. When the next one came screeching to a halt Anna hopped on and held onto a pole as it lurched forward._

'_Come on. Please, come on.'_

_At the station before hers Anna took out her phone and checked the time._

'_Oh crap. I'm gonna be late!'_

_By the time she arrived at the designated café, Anna could make out the back of a familiar auburn head, seated at one of the tables._

_Once she had alerted her presence, Hans shifted his seat and got up to give her a hug._

"_Hey baby!"_

"_Hi Hans. So sorry I'm late. The machine chewed my ticket, and I missed my train!"_

_She took the seat opposite him, and carefully placed her bag on the floor beside her._

"_Don't worry!" He smiled reassuringly. "Anyway," he continued, glancing down at the gold watch on his wrist, "it's close enough to lunch now to have sandwiches. I just _love _sandwiches!"_

"_Oh, me too! There's just something about two slices of bread with delicious filling in between." She rambled. "Did you know the sandwich was invented by this guy named 'Sandwich' who didn't want to leave his gaming table to eat?"_

"_Umm, no?" He gave her a lopsided smile. _

"_Oh, sorry. I think I just have an unhealthy relationship with sandwiches, but not as much as with chocolate. I could just about eat chocolate for every meal─I even eat chocolate spread sandwiches!"_

_Hans made a face. "Egh, I hate chocolate!"_

_Anna was baffled. "I actually thought everyone liked chocolate?"_

_Hans amused smile returned. "Well, apparently not. Should I um, order the food?"_

"_Err, yeah." Anna blushed in embarrassment._

_Anna managed to have an enjoyable time joking around and getting to know Hans better; he seemed to have a charm about him that made her feel comfortable and at ease. Following their date, Hans walked her back to the tube station and right on to the platform._

_She turned to say something to him when Hans leant in slowly towards her, eyes fluttering closed, and Anna knew what was coming. She hastily turned her face to the side, so his lips landed on her cheek._

'_It's too soon', she thought silently to herself. 'I have to be sure.'_

_In an attempt to remedy the situation Anna spoke, hope evident in her voice. "Will I see you again?"_

_He thankfully looked relieved that he wasn't being completely rejected. "Of course. We'll figure something out. And don't forget we can call and Skype in the meantime."_

_Anna's train came to a halt at the platform._

"_I won't. I'll call you as soon as I'm home!" She hurried over to the doors, and gave him a quick wave as she stepped on._

_Anna could just make out Hans face in the crowd, in the view from the window. He soon disappeared as the train pulled away._

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><p>It was now two days before Anna's flight back to New York and she hadn't yet heard from Elsa. She knew she had given Anna her number, but her sister was a busy woman and she didn't wish to push her. She feared that if she was too forceful she might be pushed away again, and she honestly didn't know if she could take that.<p>

Anna was pacing around her hotel room, phone in hand, biting her hangnails.

_Maybe she does have time and just doesn't want to speak to me again? I honestly wouldn't be surprised! Maybe I should just contact her…No, it'll only look desperate. The last thing I want is for her to see me out of pity._

When she thought she had paced for as long any sane person should, Anna came to the conclusion she would have to do something to keep her mind off things. Either that or make the first move and call her, which wasn't looking at all likely.

Anna chucked her phone onto the unmade bed, watching it bounce up again on impact. She sighed as she dragged herself into the tiny bathroom, twisting the metallic shower taps and hearing a squawking noise as the water began to cascade down. She took a step back to undress, bringing her summer dress over her head and letting it drop to the floor. She then proceeded to take off her underwear and briefly glanced down at herself, teeth digging into her lip.

It had been a very long time since Anna had sex, or done as much as expose herself without clothes in front of a man. It wasn't so much that she disliked her body, except perhaps her freckles, as she knew she had been able to maintain a fairly decent figure despite minimal effort (and copious amounts of chocolate)! If anything she felt privileged that she could be so slim, even though her general inability to keep still most probably had something to do with it.

No, her issue was that she did not seem to be able to establish enough of a connection with any of the guys she met. Whenever they would begin to get closer to her, something would always seem to feel 'off', so she would push them away. These days she had learnt not to try in the first place, as she knew it would only mean heartache for both parties.

She really did like Hans though; maybe with him things would be different and she could let herself open up and let him in. However, it troubled her greatly that they would be so far apart geographically. They hadn't even kissed yet─that obviously being her fault─but could they possibly make it work?

The warm water rushing down onto her head and trickling down her neck and shoulders succeeded in calming her mind. The shower was normally the place in which she would think about anything and everything, because who doesn't come up with their greatest ideas in the shower? However, today she could use the moment to relax, as the shower meant water, and water meant no phone, and no phone meant no incessant waiting for calls or checking for text messages.

She lifted her hand to take the shampoo, squeezing a liberal amount into her palm and massaging it into strawberry locks.

'_Bring-bring.'_

_What was that? _

Anna jerked her head up, straining to hear.

'_Bring─'_

_Oh fuckity fuck!_

Anna slipped on the wet surface of the shower cubicle in her hurried attempt at an exit, and slammed her hands up over her burning eyes.

_Shit. Soap. Fuck. _She winced, immediately directing the water over her face.

By the time she had gauged the soap out of her sore eyes, rinsed her hair, thrust a towel around herself and sprinted into the bedroom─almost skidding in the process─the phone had of course ceased it's ringing.

She launched herself onto the bed, picking up the phone with one hand, and read the message flashing up on the screen.

'_Missed call from Elsa.'_

_God dammit._

Anna turned around and sat up slowly, phone in both hands. She glanced down at it for just a moment before returning the call, feeling her hand tremble slightly as she brought it up to her ear, her breath hitching in her throat.

_Here goes nothing._

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

_Will she answer me?_

Four rings.

_Oh help._

Five…

'_Nina Snøfnugg speaking.'_

_Nina. The N…Anna, speak to her._

"Err, hi!" She squeaked. "It's me…Anna."

'_Oh! Hello Anna. I'm sorry I didn't check to see who was calling.'_

"No, it's fine. Sorry I didn't pick up just then. I couldn't get to the phone in time." Anna used her free hand to adjust her towel which was dangerously close to slipping off.

'_It's not a problem. I called because I know you talked about a meeting between us before you left.'_

"Uh, yeah." She replied hesitantly, shifting her position on the bed.

_Is that what Elsa wants?_

'_Only…I have been so caught up in work as of late. I just don't think it's going to be possible this time I'm afraid.'_

"Oh."

_Does this mean she doesn't want to see me?_

'_I am terribly sorry.' _Elsa's voice trailed off, sounding as though she were disappointed.

"No, it's okay…really."

_It really isn't but I'll see her another time…probably. Maybe. _

'_All right, well, it was nice to see you again Anna. You've grown into a wonderful young woman and I wish you all the best in your life.'_ Elsa's voice changed from soft to firm and matter of fact.

Anna felt her chest constrict, as she inhaled a gulp of air. A lump was forming in her throat.

_What? She's really closing this off. For good._

'_Anna?' _She'd waited too long to reply.

"Oh…thanks. You too. It was great to see you again." She choked.

_It really, really was. But it'll just make me miss you even more. Didn't you even want to see me again?_

'_Thank you.' _She paused. '_Well, goodbye Anna.'_

The call was disconnected on the other end; Elsa was gone. A tiny tear that had made its way down Anna's cheek, dropped onto the screen.

"Goodbye," she whispered, Elsa no longer able to hear her. "I love you."

* * *

><p><em>Anna placed a hand over the cool handle and slowly turned it, pushing the door which made a soft creak as she did so. Elsa had had just left for college earlier that day and it was the first time Anna had stepped inside her room in years.<em>

_Light from the uncovered window was sending shadows dancing over the bed, in the otherwise darkened room. Anna crept over to where it was standing in the centre of the room, and gently, hesitantly ran her hand over the blanket._

_It was the same one as she had when she was a little girl─pale blue with an intricate pattern of white snowflakes. Anna lifted up one corner, and slowly brought it up to her face, nuzzling into the velvety softness and inhaling her sister's scent. The smell of winter snow and pine, linked with the memory of ice skating, building snowmen and warm sisterly hugs. Of Elsa laughing and smiling and Anna buzzing with joy; such excitement as she hadn't felt in what seemed like forever. It may as well have been._

_The following morning, she made her way down the hall, which meant passing the now unoccupied room. She was shocked to find a pile of her sister's belongings just outside the door, and poked her head inside to see what was going on. Her mother was kneeling in the centre of the room, the single bed that was positioned there last night now pushed to the edge, sorting through piles of papers._

'_Mama, what's going on?'_

_Her mother's dark head whipped round to face her, obviously surprised to find her daughter standing there._

'_I'm just sorting out Elsa's things dear, as she won't be needing them any more.'_

'_But isn't she going to come back? What about holidays and…'_

_Her mother cut her off. 'Elsa has expressed the wish not to return, so there will be no need to keep any of this here.'_

_Idunn returned her attention back to her work._

'_Mama?'_

'_Anna, there's nothing more to discuss.' Anna could see her chest heave as she inhaled deeply through her nose. 'Please just…go and get ready for school.'_

_Anna knew the discussion was over, so retreated back outside, her shoulders slumped over. On the way out her eyes once again fell onto the pile of belongings, on top of which lay a neatly folded, snowflake pattered blanket. _

_Before she had time to even contemplate what she was doing, Anna's hand had reached down to grab it, before she clasped it to herself and ran back to her room. She immediately collapsed onto her own bed and buried her face into the blanket._

"_What did I do Elsa? I know you don't love me or even like me any more, but I'm still your little sis right?"_

_Anna began to sob into the material._

"_Will I even see you ever again?"_

_As the minutes wore on her sobs become uncontrollable, the blanket sopping wet from salty tears._

"_I love you! I love you, I love you, I love you…"_

* * *

><p>Anna had kept that blanket on her bed for years, snuggling into it at night, Anna's own scent intermingling with winter and eventually replacing it. She even still had that it tucked safely away inside of her closet─she just hadn't the heart to throw it away.<p>

It was now the morning after her phone call with Elsa, and just a day before she left for home. Anna had spent most of the time since curled up in a foetal position under the blankets of her hotel bed. She didn't seem to find the energy within herself to even do the most mundane of tasks; the light that had been glowing within her heart was diminished.

Somehow she had just about managed to rise and dress in a baggy t-shirt and pants, and put her hair into braided pigtails without bothering to brush it. However, it seemed as if nothing she could think or do would alleviate the pain that was continuing to grow stronger, within her heart. She was seriously regretting coming in the first place as the situation was much too painful and confusing.

She groaned loudly as she flopped her head back onto the pillow, closing her eyes in a futile attempt to block out her agonising emotions.

_Knock-knock-knock._

The tap the door was barely loud enough for Anna to hear, but there was no doubt it was there.

_It's probably Oaken worried about me not coming to meals or something, although usually he calls._

Anna had grown accustomed to Oaken's call of 'yoo-hoo' that he would use for anyone in any given situation. It was more like staying with a family here than in a hotel─she had even got to know his four children over the time that she stayed. She knew she would miss them all when she left the next day.

Upon opening the solid oak door her heart nearly jumped out of her throat at the realisation that it was most certainly _not _Oaken there at all, but her sister.

In sheer bewilderment Anna gasped, and managed, without thinking what she was doing, to slam the door shut in her face.

_What the fuck are you doing?_

She opened the door as quickly as she had closed it, to find Elsa standing a few steps away, wringing her hands together.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…I'll just be going…" Elsa turned away wrapping her slender arms around herself, just as she had done in her office days before.

"No Els, err, Nina, you don't have to go…"

Elsa turned partially back around, and lifted her arm, the palm of her hand directed towards Anna. "Its fine, I know you wouldn't want to see…"

"Please!" Anna begged, as Elsa slowly turned to face her, still holding tightly onto herself. "I-I love you!"

Anna immediately slammed her hands over her mouth, as pain flashed over Elsa's features.

_Oh, what have I done?_

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><p><strong>Sorry about the cliffhanger- I will put the rest of their interaction in the next chapter, which <strong>**I hope will update sooner. **

**Thanks for reading, following and reviewing, and I hope you are all having a happy new year :)**


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